It’s believed that ink was first developed some 5,000 years ago. Early ink was made from soot and berries, amongst other things. Today, ink is all around us, from books and magazines to printers and pens. Since those early days, ink has evolved to cope with the demands of the printing press and home computers.
In today’s experiment you will make some primitive ink and use it to make a homemade marker. This experiment involves knives and boiling water, so make sure you get permission from an adult before proceeding.
What you will need: A pan and stove, a cutting board, water, a bowl, a knife, some cotton cord, some string, a straw, some clay and a colorful fruit or vegetable (strawberries and cranberries work well).
(JOHN PHILLIPS, STAFF WRITER)
一般認為，墨水是在約五千年前發明的。早期的墨水是用煤灰和莓果混合其他東西製成。時至今日，我們生活週遭從書本、雜誌到印表機和筆，隨處可見墨水的蹤跡。自古以來，墨水已逐步發展成可供印刷機和家用電腦之用。
在今天的實驗中，你將自己動手製作古早的墨水，並用它來自製麥克筆。這個實驗會用到刀子和滾水，所以開始前一定要先徵詢大人的許可喔。
實驗所需：一個平底鍋和加熱爐、一個砧板、水、一個碗、一把刀、些許綿繩、些許線、一根吸管、一些黏土和一份顏色鮮艷的水果或蔬菜（草莓和蔓越莓效果最好）。
（翻譯：袁星塵）
MAKE THE INK 製作墨水
Step 1: Get all your materials together and clear a space on your workplace.
Step 2: Put the fruit on the cutting board and chop it up finely. Be careful with the knife.
Step 3: Put the chopped fruit in a pan and add just enough water to cover it.
Step 4: Bring the mixture to the boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. The pigment in the fruit will infuse the water, changing its color. If the water is still faint after 15 minutes continue to boil it until it gets darker.
步驟一：準備好所有的材料，清理出一塊工作區域。
步驟二：把水果放在砧板上，然後剁碎。用刀的時候要小心。
步驟三：把剁碎的水果放到平底鍋裡，然後加水直到蓋過水果。
步驟四：把混合物煮沸後，再用小火燉煮十五分鐘。水果中的色素會溶入水中，讓水變色。如果十五分鐘後，水的顏色還很淡，就繼續滾煮至顏色變深。
MAKING THE MARKER 製作麥克筆
Step 1: Cut a piece of cord slightly longer than the straw and soak half of it in your ink. Leave it in for at least 10 minutes.
1. evolve v.i./v.t
逐步形成 (zhu2 bu4 xing2 cheng2)
2. printing press n.
印刷機 (yin4 shua1 ji1)，印刷廠 (yin4 shua1 chang3)
3. chop v.i./v.t.
剁碎 (duo4 sui4)
4. simmer v.i./v.t.
燉煮 (dun4 zhu3)
5. pigment n.
色素 (se4 su4)
Step 2: The next part will be messy so put a piece of newspaper on your work surface. Tie a piece of string around the end of the cord that you didn’t dip in the ink.
Step 3: Thread the string through the straw and pull the cord into the straw.
Step 4: Put the piece of clay in the end of the straw with the string hanging out. The marker is finished. Find some paper and test it out!
步驟一：剪一段比吸管稍長一點的棉繩，然後把半段棉繩浸至你煮好的墨水中，靜置至少十分鐘。
步驟二：接下來這個步驟會有點髒亂，所以在你的工作檯上舖一張報紙。把一段線綁在剛剛沒有沾浸墨水的那端棉繩上。
步驟三：把這根線穿過吸管，將棉繩拉入吸管中。
步驟四：用黏土把有線那端的吸管口堵住。自製的麥克筆就完成了，找張紙來試寫看看吧！
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